Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-04-09
AMONG TELEGRAPHERS.
BU.Y HOUR IN TIL = GREAT
TEMPLE OF ELECTRICITY.


Asa reporter was mounting the last
rjrht of stairs in the Western Union
hnilding, he looked up, and caught a
climse of a jovlal face glowing above the
rotund form of Doorkeeper Tom Fin.
nlgan. The ascending and descending
operators had poured their jokes into
Toms ear as they passed, and ne was full
to the brim, when, happening to cast a
glance downward, he saw a stranger
slowly mounting. In a second a Cerbe-
rian look overspread his face, and by the
reduest for entrance he felt that 1t was
stone image that barred his path.
1--WE don't let nobody go in here"
But Pm not nobody. Pm for the mo-
ment a part OF the Evening SUM-"
At the mention OF the paper the Ger
berian look disappeared, and the rubi-
cund countenance once more asserted
itself
Come right in. That is the mellowest
sunshine | have felt in all my forty-four
wears OF service"
A busy scene was revealed when the
door opened. 1t was. indeed, q small
village, for 800 operators were tapping
away at racing speed. while 1870 clerks
This is our day FORCE" said Mr.. Bren-
nan, the assistant manager.
NINETY others take their places
at night. The fifty you see
I'D there IN the gallery attend to the
commercial news, ticker service, stock
reports, etc. They use the Morse instru-
ments, and are in charge of Gardiner
Irving, whose assistant is Charles L.
Chase.''
..Ubo+ Dronortion of the forca 10 oono
posed of ladiesW
About One-fourth."
care they as efficient as menp
mot quite. Still they are very expert.
We have three married ladies'. Most OF
the WbeatstOne operators are women. OF
these, Mrs. Wllkle and Misses &. Steven
son, l.. Boyle, NJ. Sinsabaugh, and f.
Peabody are among the most expert.
Among the Morse operators Misses +. J..
Daily, NJ. Donavan, Fanny Martin, and
MasJerson are among the most
skilliul. Among those that work the
heaviest wires are Mrs. Randolph, Mrs.
Harrington, and Misses Frazee, Coxton.
Reiners, and K. McNally."
Have you any cOlored operators P'
Not one, And so far as my knowledge
extends there is not colOred operator IN
the United States. AT any rate, l never
heard of one"
Who are the veterans Ofthe service ?"
We'll there are two that have been at
work tor the company for quarter OF
century. They are our Boston team-John
h. Calvert and Joseph Knittle."
Calvert was playing ON a 6ngerboard
with black and white keys, octaved like
piano, which the manager said was a
combination printing machine. knittle
was receiving.
There are two more veterans, Joe Ed
wards and L. P. SchuIly, our Washington
printing team. Another veteran is
George X. W alcott, Morse operator. He
is fine bass singer, and is u member of
the Madison Avenue Presbyterian church
choir. Thomas Fulton and VIM. Blanch-
ard are also veterans. They are the PhIla.
delphia team. l.. l.. Baker, a Wheatstone
pertoratOr, 10 our literary man. His
poetry pleases the operators greatly.
The oldest Morse operator is j. j.
Callahan. He has achieved success as an
etcher aud painter. An uptown dealer
in etchings considers him the best in the
city, and has his work on the cover of his
publications. But, although L SPEAK of
all these men as veterans by reason of
their long service, none OF them are old
men. All of our force may be- considered
young"
tine Oldest veteran we have" con-
tinued the manager, 'Is Tom Finnigan
there, Who has been forty-four years in the
service. He used to be an assistant
grinder OF the printing machines, but
lhey are now run by an electric motor
You see, we have but very few gray or
bald heads. The operators begin work
when they are about 10 or 16 years old.
Where are your operator nurseriesY'
I'm the country. Nearly the entire
force took their first lessons ia the Offices
along the Erie, Pennsylvania, and Hud-
son River railroads, and in the Eastern
states. Their ambition brings them here.
Ihey get from $50 to $50 per month, ac-
cording to length of service, efficiency
and experience, Let me take you now to
+. W. Baldwin, who has charge OF the
switches and all the wires that come into
the building"
Nj. Baldwin Is q bright, keen young
man, and laying down his 1920 wires he
invited the reporter to take seat, and
poured out a freshet OF information until
IL seemed that he had reservoir of
electricity on tap.
we have two switches, one holding
oVO wires and the other AGO."
Ihe o0O-wire switch reared its grOoved
orsss as high and long as a horse car, and
Denlnd II the wound wires hung down
IKE myriad whip lashes.
Inc fastest work that is done here has
10 De done in the racing department. 1t
peculiar business and works with the
"SNo ulTecC. W nat Is done mas 10 Do
uohe very rapidly. The division is in
cAarge OF ID. b. Mitchell. Among the
speediest operators are Steinmeiz, Har-
mon, fitzpatrick aud Kraushaar. They
eacn average eighty five TO 100 messages
per hour. They can send or receive be-
'"een nifty and sixty words per minute"
ms crowd feels good, doesn't it? l
ose tney are nearly all merry" the report
er observed,
~, On, yes. They feel good all the while.
nhey are Jolly set. Nobody dies here
unCl Ne or she is obliged to-"
49, " nat are those curious instruments
G LIVING, winch they are pounding with what
'ook like pegs ?"
nose are the Wheatstone automatic
"aSShlnes. The division is In charge OF
sra \ refer. 1t works ST. Louis, Chicago
Suu new Orleans, and averages each
TT1oult 1000 and 1900 messages per day.
NJ NJ popularity OF the Wheatstone instru-
,os 1 WI. IL mat the message is first punched
am ansInlsslon, and then these punched
p7 are passed through u transmitting
sn@ Sn nlue which records each dot, dash
AT th space IN the corresponding machine
ne,,u ue olher terminus. Each stroke Of the
aePFesents u dot, dash or space. The
cbon%ses received are printed on
lfsnniica,ly prepared paper, and are
TSo WeaIe aud printed by typewrters.
ahopt nealstone machine has been in use